Professional Heating & Air Blog : Archive for May, 2014

When the summer heat starts, your air conditioning will become as important to your daily comfort as your indoor plumbing and hot water. The same way that you expect water to come from a tap when you turn the handle, you expect your air conditioning to supply cooled air whenever it comes on. There are ways you can make you air conditioning as reliable as your home plumbing, and we’ll look at some of the important precautionary steps for this summer.

Just as you should always turn to professional plumbers for your pipes, you should always turn to professional AC technicians when you have trouble keeping cool. You can reach skilled experts at A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning 24-hours a day when you need assistance with air conditioning in Metairie, LA.

Tips for Making Sure Your AC Keeps Working Well This Summer

Schedule Annual Maintenance: Air conditioners need to have a regular maintenance inspection and tune-up once a year, and if at all possible you should take care of it before the heavy summer heat arrives. This is the best way to shield your air conditioning from malfunctions, break downs, and inefficient performance. Maintenance does not take long with a skilled technician on the job, and the service pays back in years of reliable air conditioning.

Change The Air Filter Once A Month: One of the simplest mistakes that homeowners make with ACs—and perhaps the most common—is to neglect to change the air filter regularly during the cooling season. The air filter protects the interior of the AC from particles pulled in through the return vents. But should it become clogged, it will turn into a hindrance that cuts off air flow and forces the AC to overwork. Eventually, this may even cause icing across the coils, one of the worst problems an air conditioner can face. But if you change the filter once a month during the summer (or as long as you regularly use the AC) you should have few problems from it.

Avoid Overstressing The System: The more you run an air conditioner, the faster it wears down and risks repair needs. You can lower your AC use without sacrificing quality: instead of keeping the system turned down as low as possible, bump it up about 8°F (72°F is comfortable for most people). This change not only means an AC that isn’t running unnecessarily to reach a low temperature, it will also mean savings.

Start with AC maintenance right now with a call to A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning. Our professional tune-up will ready your air conditioning system in Metairie, LA for the challenges of summer. Our skilled and experienced staff looks forward to helping your home stay cool.

Before the summer arrives, have any lingering air conditioning repairs taken care of. It’s likely that you’ve already needed to turn on your AC for a few days, so take some time to pay attention to its operation and look for any indications of faults or malfunctions. If you do notice anything amiss—as we’ll go over in a moment—don’t hesitate: call for professional technicians to come to your home and remedy the problem.

Signs It’s Time to Call for Air Conditioning Repairs

The clearest warning sign you can receive from your AC that it has operational problems is when it starts making strange noises. If the air conditioner makes grinding and stuttering sounds when it starts up, then it is “hard starting,” which could point to a number of issues in the motors or the compressor. Clicking sounds indicate capacitors about to fail. If you hear a hissing sound, like escaping gas, then you have a refrigerant leak and need to call for repairs to seal the leak and recharge the lost refrigerant as soon as possible.

Should you detect a loss in cooling power or a drop in airflow coming from the vents, the air conditioning could be experiencing major problems. Although you may feel tempted to let these problems go and hope they’ll get better, they won’t. You could have dirty coils, blocked airflow, broken fans, burnt-out motors… all of which will require professional repairs.

An indication of repair needs that some people often overlook appears on utility bills. As you get your first bills for the air conditioning season, compare them to the bills from the same time the previous year. If you see a surprising rise in costs, it might come from an air conditioning system that is running with a malfunction. Call for technicians to investigate and find out what’s wrong. Some repair problems are difficult to detect at first, but with knowledgeable HVAC specialists on the job, it will soon be fixed.

Schedule Maintenance As Well

Even if nothing seems wrong with your air conditioner this spring, you will still need to make a call to a trustworthy HVAC company to arrange for a maintenance visit. A tune-up and inspection will catch any repair problems that might otherwise escape your notice and give you time to have them repaired.

A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning offers a quality maintenance program to help you get ready for summer. Along with the inspection and tune-up for your AC, you’ll also receive a 10% discount on parts and labor and priority scheduling for your air conditioning repairs in Kenner, LA.

Spring is the perfect time to repair your air conditioner, especially if it seems like something may be off. As the property owner, you know your system best – have you heard or seen something that doesn’t seem normal? Not sure what you are hearing or seeing? Every system provides warnings when things are headed south, so let this list from A-Professional Heating and Air Conditioning help you identify some of the warning signs that your air conditioner may be in need of repair. Call A-Professional Heating and Air Conditioning for quality air conditioning repair service in Metairie, LA.

Here’s a List for Potential Warning Signs

Strange Sounds

There are normal sounds your air conditioning system makes – such as a steady hum -when the unit is running. Other sounds, like clunking, banging, squealing or screeching, are not typical sounds and may indicate a problem. If you hear such sounds, call specialist to inspect it as soon as possible.

Thermostat Issues

Your home should cool evenly. If you experience one room being much colder or hotter than another, you may have an issue with your thermostat; the same goes for excessive cycling of your system. Your thermostat helps run you AC efficiently. If it’s off, you may start to see that in the form of higher energy bills. Don’t let your thermostat cost you money – call an air conditioning repair technician to check the problem.

Low Air Flow

Does the air flow seem light? Several potential problems can cause a decrease in air flow, from debris in the air ducts to a problematic compressor. Because a number of things can cause decreased air flow, it’s best to let a professional technician determine what is causing the problem.

Unpleasant Smell

The air from your air conditioner should be fresh. If you notice an odor when the system comes on, such as mold or mildew, it’s time for a professional inspection and cleaning. Left alone, these smells will continue to circulate through your property, delivering to your indoor spaces both the odor and the microbes causing it.

Total Lack of Cool Air

If you turn your system on and get nothing but warm air, you may have a problem with your compressor. Compressors are an important part of your system and require professional training for repairs. Warm air can be indicative of other problems as well, so make sure a trained specialist handles the repair work.

Schedule an Appointment for Air Conditioning Repair Service with A-Professional Heating and Air Conditioning

Your air conditioning system is an important part of your home’s overall value; if you have a warning sign it may not be running properly, don’t ignore it. Call A-Professional Heating and Air Conditioning to schedule air conditioning repair service in Metairie today. We can handle any repairs you’re A/C system may need.